This week, I saw a few posts on blogs talking about how they survived the first week of school. As some of you may know, this bothers me greatly. I did not survive my first week, I thrived in it. Some may call me relentlessly optimistic or just plain annoying but the truth is that I love my job. I have been planning all summer for this first "real" week of school and it did not let me down. So here is what I "survived" this week:
- A student with autism who mostly speaks repetitive sentences telling me he loved me.
- A student, who was in my 4th grade class last year, returning to be in my combination room this year after having been in 2 other school already this year.
- A 5th grader in my room who last year asked for help every 5 minutes, not asking for help, but instead trying it himself and lighting up at his success.
- 27 students who didn't really know each other create their own Animoto for their parents to see their hopes and wishes for my room.
- 25 hands in the air all wanting to model the incorrect way of how to read to self.
- A shy boy with little math success last year, raising his hand 3 times during math class and getting it right.
- A 4th grade girl, who moved to our school after a person got shot on her block, subtracting 35 from 71 in her head.
- 3 students telling me that so far I was not a disappointment and that I was their favorite teacher ever.
- 2 parents emailing me that they do not care that I have 27 students in my room, they are not part of the petition to get another teacher added to my school to alleviate our high classroom sizes, since they believe in what I am doing.
- Another student with autism letting me in a little by cracking his first joke to me.
- Students letting down their guard and reaching out to new people even if they are not the same age.
- Students asking me to please not tell their parents that Double Bubble Gum's flavor only lasts 4 minutes, thus making it the worst investment when buying bubble gum.
- The students getting so excited about the Global Read Aloud project and studying the maps that we will mark when we connect with someone.
So no I did not survive the first week of school, I lived it to the fullest, eagerly anticipating many more days with these incredible kids. Did you?
